Thailand & Contiki Thai Hopper West Tour 2013

“Travel brings power and love back into your life.” – Rumi

Where to start? I waited so long before I did this post and it is long overdue, but it feels like I was leaving for my trip to Thailand just yesterday! So many memories were made.

I was dropped off at the airport on Saturday 23^rd March. Every nerve in my body was just screaming with excitement, maybe I was a little nervous as well. My first time travelling overseas, and I was going alone. I was excited, not nervous. Although the friend that dropped me off at the Airport did make a great attempt at trying to make me nervous.

I just remember my Mom calling and SMSing me every 5 minutes about being safe and not letting anyone near my bags. LOL

Sitting waiting to board the flight, I just looked around at everyone else that was waiting to get onto the flight thinking that I was going to a “freaking couple’s destination”!! There were couples everywhere waiting to board the same flight as me.

Boarding tickets!!

The flight went by really quickly (a whole 10.5 hours quick), I couldn’t sleep so I watched 4 movies on the flight, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” was one of them. Do yourself a favour, if you haven’t seen it yet, DO IT, NOW.

We landed in Bangkok at some crazy hour early in the morning. I think it was like 6am in Bangkok and 2am in SA. All you SA Twitter people were all out partying by the looks of what was on my TL at the time.

Gorgeous sunrise at the Bangkok Airport!

Flying from Bangkok to Phuket was great, the scenery below was breathtaking, and I got to see the stunning Islands as we were flying over them.

*Squeal*

When we got to the Airport in Phuket it was quick to find my luggage, which was a huge relief!

When I walked out of the airport the heat hit me instantly, I can’t remember whether the sweat started running down my crack or cleavage first! Wearing jeans, sneakers and a really thick top probably didn’t help the matter!

My taxi was right there waiting for me *happy days*, we didn’t even move 5 meters out the parking and a bus scraped the side of his car *ouch* the poor dude was so upset.

It was boiling, I don’t even think that aircon in the car was working that day. You know when someone drives “jerkingly” they ride the clutch/breaks, or whatever? Well my taxi driver was doing that, all I was picturing was me sticking my head of the window and vomming right out the window. Major car sickness!

Anyway we made it safely to the Hotel that I was going to be staying in for 2 nights (Andakira Resort), it looked really pretty and all the staff were super friendly. Actually EVERY SINGLE Thai person that I encountered was friendly. *Sawadekaaa* echoing wherever I walked, it was lovely!

I was unable to check in as my room wasn’t ready as yet (it was only 11am), but I was upgraded to a deluxe room with a gorgeous view

View of the Andakira pool from my room!

While they were getting my room ready I decided to go and explore the nearby area (in my jeans, sneakers & vest) I was cooking! The looks I was getting were either because I was dressed like an Eskimo or because I had the stupidest grin on my face, just plastered there. Haha. Yeah, probably the latter. I WAS IN FREAKING THAILAND, ALONE!!The receptionists gave me directions to a nearby mall, which was just under a km from the Hotel. On the way there I managed to exchange some Dollars to Baht, I bumped into an American guy that was part of a Contiki group that had arrived 2 days before me. We started chatting and walked to the mall together. I eventually managed to get away from him. Haha. Shopping on your ace is ALWAYS better. I bought a gorgeous little skirt from the mall, they had some really pretty (pricey) things there, I was YET to discover the proper market!

I checked into the Hotel, yes my first question was “do you have Wi-Fi?” That’s probably where the Wi-Fi bug started that I had throughout the tour and probably one of the reasons the below picture was edited by one of the guys on the tour.

 

Wi-Fi bug!!

 

Bags unpacked, 1^st plan was the beach, so I hopped on a shuttle to Patong beach front, erm… what a disappointment… okay maybe not that bad, but the water wasn’t crystal clear, in fact it was murky brown and the beach was busy (with half naked women walking around, and gross, REALLY old fat men in Speedos) yuck! Haha

I had a quick swim and then went to walk along the market, OMGEE, the handbags! I fell in love, but managed to hold back and didn’t buy anything :) everything I touched, slops, sarongs, tops or handbags the locals just wanted to sell to me! You would ask the price and they’d say “1500 Baht”, if you started walking away they’d just say “okay, okay, good price for you 900 Baht” WTF? That is like a 30% discount. Attempt to walk away again and they just ask you what you will pay, major bartering people. I was learning quickly!

I spent that first night at the Hotel, eating in the restaurant. The Thai food was delicious! I made contact with one of the guys that was going to be on tour with me on FB, and we decided to meet up the next day to go do some exploring together.

Room with a view!

That Monday (25^th March) we went down to Patong beach and I had my first beer at like 11am in the morning, another 3 followed that. We bartered with a tuk-tuk to take us to the next beach around the corner (Kata & Karon). On the way up a really steep hill the darn thing started losing power, we thought we were too heavy, turns out we were running out of gas because the driver had to stop on the hill to refill the tuk-tuk, fun times.

Finally my dreams were coming true because we found a beach where the water was clear and they had the boats (Long Tail Boats) I had been seeing in all the pictures of Thailand.

Magnifique!

It was a great day of exploring, yummy lunch (with free Wi-Fi) and MANY MANY scooters and motorbikes. I was in heaven!

Scooters for Thailand!

We decided to book at day tour for the next day as we still had an extra day before the Contiki tour was going to start. I managed to barter a tour to Coral & Raya Island down from 2300 Baht to 1500 Baht. I was a pro, yo.

The next day Tuesday (25^th March) I checked out of Andakira and into the Sawaddi Patong Resort, oh my word. Let me just say that, Andakira was really nice but it had nothing on the Sawaddi Patong Resort. It was gorgeous, comfortable, the staff were even friendlier, the pool was stunning and the rooms were great!

Breathtaking Resort!

The tour company picked us up at the Hotel for our Island day trip and it was a 30 minute drive across Phuket to the Chalong Pier. There were stacks of people also going on the same day tour.

We all got onto our speedboats, our tour guide for the day was such a character, his accent was brilliant, we were in the “ollange group” (orange group), he said to us (and say in Thai accent after me “today we go to 2 ‘eye’land, 2 ‘eye’land, we spend 2 and a half hour at Coral Island, when I say, ollange, ollange, ollange, you come to me.” It’s a moment thing I guess, you just have to be there, it was brilliant, I still laugh when I think about that.

“2 eye’land”

Coral Island was stunning, the beaches and the water were just getting better. We hit the parasailing as soon as we got the Island, it was great fun. We were allowed to go up alone because the wind was still calm. It was super pretty. I managed to get a war wound because the rope bore into my wrist. It was so worth it! A bit of swimming and exploring of the Island, I had my first beer at 10:30 am :) but didn’t drink anymore for the rest of the day. My belly is grateful today.

What the hell must I do with the ropes?

I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts!

When the “ollange” group was called together we boarded and started heading to our next Island, “Raya Island”! Just, WOW. The bay that we sailed into was beautiful, a gorgeous looking resort against the side of the hill with bright white sand in front of it, leading into the clearest of water.

Beautiful!

We had a lunch there, after walking up the longest hill in the hottest of heat. I made the mistake of making use of the local lavatories before lunch *VOM* my lunch barely went down.

I made friends with 2 Pakistani guys that were on the tour with us, they had moved to Thailand, one of them owned an Indian Cuisine restaurant in Patong.

Later that afternoon we went snorkelling at one of the bays around the corner also part of Raya Island. It was so exciting, the fish would swim right up to you and they were so colourful. I decided then and there I needed to get my Scuba license right up there on my bucket list.

Our boat was being full of shit and we struggled to get it started, the trip back to Chalong Pier was quite a long one as our speedboat was without its speed.

We got back to the Hotel after 5pm and headed straight to the pool for some happy hour cocktails, yummy yummy. The pool had jets… just saying. This is where we met Deanna, one of the other ladies that was also on our Contiki Tour.

The three of us (Ben, Deanna & I) met up and went for dinner on Bangla road that night, we also decided to go watch a “Ping-Pong” show. The things that I have seen, cannot be unseen. I literally sat there with my can of beer in my hand gaping at the stage! We also learnt that painting on the half naked, g-string clad strippers walking around would land you in forking out tips of 200 Baht!

When I got back the Hotel I found my new Contiki roommate already asleep in the room. Sleeping next to a complete stranger for the night and then waking up next to her the next morning, a tad awkward! We hit it off immediately, chatting as if we had been best buddies for years, it was pretty awesome to have a roomie that was cool and I was already getting along with.

We had breaky together and then walked to Patong beach to explore a bit and so that she could see the beach. We had our first cocktail at 10am already! And then another… haha

Later that day when we got back to the Hotel we booked a spa treatment, it was pretty average. I still regret not getting a massage on the street while I was in Thailand.

At 6pm the whole group met up on the restaurant for the meet-up, it was quite strange just sitting there looking at a group of people that I didn’t know!

I was sitting next to Tony, who 2 nights later became my pole dancing buddy. LOL

Our first night was pretty chilled, well dinner was! After dinner the group hit Bangla road, where we went to a little bar down some side road, right next door to Suzy Wong’s ass smacking bar! A couple of the guys attempted to play “connect four” with an erm… lady of the night. Every time she won, you were supposed to buy her a drink!

Connect 4

I wasn’t drinking the first night because I didn’t want to feel ill on the boat tour the next day but that didn’t stop me from getting on the bar counter (sober) and dancing on a pole :) hehe. The night ended off at a club, which was so much fun! There was a Thai guy that was dancing with and around us wearing a top that said “I’m in Phi Phi Bitch” on it. Loved it! I think I need to go back just to buy one of those tops.

The next morning (Thursday 28^th March) we met up early in the reception to leave for the James Bond Island tour. It was a great day, our first day that we all spent together and the scenery was gorgeous. My favourite part of the day was when we got to the floating Koh Phanyi village, such great photo opportunities in the village!

The lady with the Golden Gun

We all went through to watch some fights at the Patong Muay Thai boxing stadium that night, it was great fun! The first couple of fights were a bit hectic because the fighters were young teenagers, but pretty soon after a couple of Chang beers I was getting into it. The one guy from Australia that was fighting was proper fit! He knocked his opponent right out!

Muay Thai fights.

Drinking Chang beers whilst sitting is extremely dangerous, by the time I stood up I must have already had about 5 beers and was so in the mood to party! I taught a few of the others on tour what a “having a rubber arm” meant! We ended up back at the bar from the previous night, the Tequila was DIRT cheap, and I was right back on the bar counter around the pole again, this time with two other people that were on tour right behind me! That night we ended up at the Banana Discotheque right by the beach, it was debauchery! All I can remember is squashing into a tuk-tuk to get to the party and then NOTHING that occurred after that. That night remains a mystery. I must have danced like one hell of a crazy person!

Thank goodness our next day was a free day, a bunch of us caught a tuk-tuk to the Big Buddha and Wat Chalong Temple. A couple of us felt so sorry for ourselves because of the previous nights drinking and partying! Super funny, try wrapping yourself up in multiple layers in 55 degree heat so that you look respectable when visiting the Buddha! *vom*

Big Buddah in Phuket

We found an authentic Thai place for lunch along the beach, lay in the sun tanning and swimming in the waves and then caught our tuk-tuk back to the Hotel where we lay relaxing at the pool side.

The Simon Lady Boy Cabaret that night was… interesting. They have better pairs of boobies than mine!

Sexy lady boys

I got sick that night, can’t say that lying on the floor of a Swedish bar’s toilet is much fun, but my night was ended short. I probably needed the sleep anyway!

Our ferry to Koh Phi Phi on the 30^th March was great, the Island itself when we got there though. Phi Phi stole my heart the minute I stepped onto that pier. I think it may still be there on the Island somewhere.

We had to walk quite far along the shops and beach to get to our resort, but it was so worth it. The resort was not as pretty or as comfortable as Sawaddi but the view was stunning.

Walking the streets of Phi Phi to the Bayview Resort

Phi Phi was amazing, I love the beaches, I loved the foreign people that were everywhere, I loved the food, I loved the love that just oozed out of every pore of the place.

We partied really hard on that Island, there were flame throwers, there was a large ‘statue’ penis, there were over 350 stairs to get to a viewpoint on top of the Island, there were fluro parties, there was delicious pizza (especially at 3am after a good party), there were great clubs, I learnt how to play beer pong, there was *sigh* the cutest guy from Holland on that Island, I played beer pong against said really cute guy on that Island. Have I mentioned how yummy younger boys look? Haha. So not the norm as far as my taste goes, but heck, they are great to look at, and as flirty as hell!

I could go on and on about Koh Phi Phi, but I would rather share a few pictures of the Island instead.

Koh Phi Phi Sunset

Beautiful isn’t it?

Obligatory jump off the speedboat!

View of Phi Phi, such a beautiful Island.

Obligatory Contiki jump!

My heart almost broke when we left the Island, also I was super hung over on the ferry trip to Krabi (AoNang), mad.

Krabi was ok, the Hotel we stayed in was another luxurious one, but AoNang itself did not excite me much.

We just relaxed there, one of the mornings was spent doing an elephant forest ride, which was fun. The ellies were beautiful. I had a bug fly into my ear during the ride and it buzzed away for almost an hour before I managed to get it out, probably pay back for riding the poor elephant!

Ellie rides with TK

When we got back to the Hotel we decided to catch a Long Tail Boat to Railay beach which was said to be one of the prettiest beaches in the area. It was pretty but nothing in comparison to what we had already seen on the tour.

Beaching it up

That night was our last dinner together as the Contiki group. It was bitter sweet. We all went out partying afterwards and smashed Thai Whiskey buckets, loved it. One of the barmen took my SA beads that I was wearing around my neck and put it on, they were obsessed with the things! LOL.

I do not know what the facination was with those beads?

The next day the group split ways, 3 stayed on in Krabi and the rest of us headed back to Phuket/Patong, the bus ride back was really interesting. Let’s just say I was regretting the previous nights Whiskey bucket splurge and I was fighting back the urge to projectile vom the whole way back to Sawaddi. There is one last stretch before driving down into the Patong bay that you go around corners down a hill, I had a plastic bag ready! Luckily we made it and I was in an aircon room swiftly after we arrived.

Some of the group were not staying in the same resort that night but managed to book a hotel right next door to ours, it is amazing how cheap accommodation is there.

We all went out and grabbed some lunch and then lay relaxing around the pool for the rest of the afternoon. That night those of us that were still left (9 of the 15) decided to go out for dinner in Patong together, we landed up in a really Western bar/restaurant place which was absolutely horrible, luckily they had NO space for us to sit down for dinner so we were very quickly out of there and back on the streets again. After being really indecisive we managed to find a really authentic Thai restaurant on the street that was packed to the brim, but those friendly Thai people made a plan and soon we had our own very own ‘last supper’ table, which moved about 10 minutes later onto a veranda because it started raining. I can say with confidence that dinner was one of my favourite dinners on the entire trip.

The “last supper”

A friend of mine asked me when I got back if I had a moment on the trip, where I just felt it, the whole contentment of what I was experiencing of where I was and I could not answer him. Thinking back, I can say that I remember sitting on the veranda while the rain was slowly coming down, looking over the table watching everyone chatting away and just feeling so content and happy. It was not a feeling that I had felt during the tour until that moment.

After dinner some of the group decided to go watch a ping-ping show and because Deanna and I had already done it we decided to head back to the Swedish bar to drink. I had so much fun chatting to her and couldn’t for the life of me think of why I had not spent more time hanging out with her on the tour.

A little later we found ourselves at a club, dancing away like drunk hippies. It was a sad goodbye for a couple of us as Deanna I left to go back to the Hotel. It was pissing down with rain on the street and the two of us decided to get those plastic ponchos and to walk back to the Resort instead of catching a tuk-tuk.

The two of us skipped around on the street in our ponchos in the rain thinking we were completely invincible because we were not getting wet. I think I laughed until I got tears in my eyes that night.

We were invincible!

When I awoke the next day, the realisation occurred to me that my trip was finally coming to an end. I spent the day in a somewhat morbid bitter sweet state. I did some shopping and then lay around the pool relaxing, it was overcast, somewhat appropriate weather for the mood I was in.

I settled my account at the reception, packed my bags and dressed for the trip back to the airport.

Saying goodbye has never been easy for me and I can’t say saying goodbye to those people that had so quickly crept into my heart was any better. Tears were shed and my heart was bursting.

My flight to Bangkok and then back to SA went by so quickly, by the time I walked out into the SA I already felt travel blues and that I would never be the same again.

Some of my favourite moments on tour!

Some of the best moments!

I cannot wait to travel again, and it will hopefully be soon. And one day, I will return to Thailand.

Travel, travel some more and when you return book your next trip so that you are travelling soon again.

Istanbul, I am coming for you!

Clifton StrengthsFinder – My 5 Signature Themes

Yesterday at work our entire Management team did an amazing ‘course’ on our top 5 personal signature themes/strengths. We had to do an online questionnaire that led to the below results, it was absolutely amazing to hear what the other managers had as their top5 and even more so that no set of results were the same. Some of us would have 1 or 2 similar things on their top 5 like achiever or responsibility but the combination itself of certain themes deliver completely different results. There are 34 signature themes in total on the list.

Dr. Barnard explained each one of them to us and I found it so amazing how accurate these themes were about me & as well as my fellow colleagues. He explained that once a person could learn about their strengths they could go on to maximise on these natural talents to become even better, he even went onto explain that not only do these talents play a role in the success of our career but also play a vital role in the relationships that we have with other people, friendships, partners etc.

I am truly grateful to have been able to learn this about myself and look forward to seeing how I can use these talents to be a better, more successful individual!

***

A review of the knowledge and skills you have acquired can provide a basic sense of your abilities, but an awareness and understanding of your natural talents will provide true insight into the core reasons behind your consistent successes.

Your Signature Themes are very important in maximizing the talents that lead to your successes. By focusing on your Signature Themes, separately and in combination, you can identify your talents, build them into strengths, and enjoy personal and career success through consistent, near-perfect performance.

***

Achiever

Your Achiever theme helps explain your drive. Achiever describes a constant need for achievement. You feel as if every day starts at zero. By the end of the day you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself. And by “every day” you mean every single day—workdays, weekends, vacations. No matter how much you may feel you deserve a day of rest, if the day passes without some form of achievement, no matter how small, you will feel dissatisfied. You have an internal fire burning inside you. It pushes you to do more, to achieve more. After each accomplishment is reached, the fire dwindles for a moment, but very soon it rekindles itself, forcing you toward the next accomplishment. Your relentless need for achievement might not be logical. It might not even be focused. But it will always be with you. As an Achiever you must learn to live with this whisper of discontent. It does have its benefits. It brings you the energy you need to work long hours without burning out. It is the jolt you can always count on to get you started on new tasks, new challenges. It is the power supply that causes you to set the pace and define the levels of productivity for your work group. It is the theme that keeps you moving.

Responsibility

Your Responsibility theme forces you to take psychological ownership for anything you commit to, and whether large or small, you feel emotionally bound to follow it through to completion. Your good name depends on it. If for some reason you cannot deliver, you automatically start to look for ways to make it up to the other person. Apologies are not enough. Excuses and rationalizations are totally unacceptable. You will not quite be able to live with yourself until you have made restitution. This conscientiousness, this near obsession for doing things right, and your impeccable ethics, combine to create your reputation: utterly dependable. When assigning new responsibilities, people will look to you first because they know it will get done. When people come to you for help—and they soon will—you must be selective. Your willingness to volunteer may sometimes lead you to take on more than you should.

Consistency

Balance is important to you. You are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same, no matter what their station in life, so you do not want to see the scales tipped too far in any one person’s favor. In your view this leads to selfishness and individualism. It leads to a world where some people gain an unfair advantage because of their connections or their background or their greasing of the wheels. This is truly offensive to you. You see yourself as a guardian against it. In direct contrast to this world of special favors, you believe that people function best in a consistent environment where the rules are clear and are applied to everyone equally. This is an environment where people know what is expected. It is predictable and evenhanded. It is fair. Here each person has an even chance to show his or her worth.

Discipline

Your world needs to be predictable. It needs to be ordered and planned. So you instinctively impose structure on your world. You set up routines. You focus on timelines and deadlines. You break longterm projects into a series of specific short-term plans, and you work through each plan diligently. You are not necessarily neat and clean, but you do need precision. Faced with the inherent messiness of life, you want to feel in control. The routines, the timelines, the structure, all of these help create this feeling of control. Lacking this theme of Discipline, others may sometimes resent your need for order, but there need not be conflict. You must understand that not everyone feels your urge for predictability; they have other ways of getting things done. Likewise, you can help them understand and even appreciate your need for structure. Your dislike of surprises, your impatience with errors, your routines, and your detail orientation don’t need to be misinterpreted as controlling behaviors that box people in. Rather, these behaviors can be understood as your instinctive method for maintaining your progress and your productivity in the face of life’s many distractions.

Activator

“When can we start?” This is a recurring question in your life. You are impatient for action. You may concede that analysis has its uses or that debate and discussion can occasionally yield some valuable insights, but deep down you know that only action is real. Only action can make things happen. Only action leads to performance. Once a decision is made, you cannot not act. Others may worry that “there are still some things we don’t know,” but this doesn’t seem to slow you. If the decision has been made to go across town, you know that the fastest way to get there is to go stoplight to stoplight. You are not going to sit around waiting until all the lights have turned green. Besides, in your view, action and thinking are not opposites. In fact, guided by your Activator theme, you believe that action is the best device for learning. You make a decision, you take action, you look at the result, and you learn. This learning informs your next action and your next. How can you grow if you have nothing to react to? Well, you believe you can’t. You must put yourself out there. You must take the next step. It is the only way to keep your thinking fresh and informed. The bottom line is this: You know you will be judged not by what you say, not by what you think, but by what you get done. This does not frighten you. It pleases you.

A special thanks to Gabrielle my GM & Dr. Barnard for doing this course with us!

https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/About

Live Your Life In Such A Way…

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.

Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours.

Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.

Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,

Even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and bow to none.

When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and for the joy of living.

If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.

Abuse no one and nothing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts

Are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes

They weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.

Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.

- Chief Tecumseh

Back Home Again!

My 1st day back in Jo’burg was spent doing some pretty boring things & I loved every second of it!

I cleaned out my cupboard, and my cleaner will be enjoying 4 plastic bags full of old clothing that I no longer wear!

In an extremely brave/weak moment I purchased myself a drill and hung up new curtains (which I also bought yesterday).

The rest of the day was spent with my little monkey CharlieC & then I was off to gym, I cannot wait to get all fit again so I can enter my next 10km race!

Attatched to my hip & every other part of my body! Little brat.

1st workout of the year is always the best!

If You’re A Bird…

It’s Umngazi Time!

Cannot believe that an entire year has gone by and I am at Umngazi again :) for 2 weeks!

Why am I blogging? Because yes, I have already gotten burnt… (lectures self) it was not intentional, it never really is, when the weather is perfect you just cannot avoid taking advantage especially when you are at the coast

So far the last couple of days have been amazing and I have to share

On the way in we passed a baby goat lying on the side of the road, and I just HAD to take a photo… and then pick it up! A little further down the road we passed a baby donkey! Too cutey…

And then we arrived… at Umngazi River Bungalows. Paradise.

Saying hi to my little ‘sister’ Black Patch, the best way she knows how – with her claws!

Before even attempting to unpack my Mom & I headed down to the beach so I could put my feet in the water, and of course watch the sunset

Yesterday the weather was so amazing we went straight down to the beach to catch a few rays… I enjoyed it too much because I now look like a little lobster!

No holiday ever really starts until I have hit the spa and painted my nails the brightest colour I can find… this colour is called Carnival Hangover (Gelish for the win)! – yes this picture is scary!

Last night we went down to the bar deck to enjoy a G&T… I enjoyed 4! Dad braaied the yummiest Lamb Chops for dinner.

This morning I woke up at 7 to go for a run on the beach… It was bloody hot! I ran 4 km in the softest sand with the most supportive of audiences… Transkei cows & donkeys!

Amazing 2 days, as always the staff are so excited to see me – I have been shoved into about 15 pairs of boobies and have learnt to say “molo, molweni, unjani…” very quickly

Xx

KB

Less was more in 2012

This year has been great, the great part is that it is ending soon. Even though it wasn’t that bad of a year. 

January – came back to work after a phenomenal holiday at Umngazi River Bungalows, was happy at work and where I was at in my life. Fell in love with Jo’burg and started meeting new people.. I found the balance. Or so I thought I did.

February – I bought myself stacks of lingerie for Valentines. Yes please!

March – discovered how disgusting the interwebs can be and quit the Twits (and other social media platforms) for 7 days. Read more about that here.

April – seriously contemplated moving overseas for a year or two and then was convinced otherwise. Career kids! It’s all apparently about your career. April was also a highlight for me in terms that I was indirectly called a ‘slut’ by one of my good friend’s boyfriends. Yip, you read that correctly. I actually have a good giggle when I think back to this, because it clearly shows that he doesn’t know me at all, however they are still my friends nonetheless – we forgive people. Oh and my car radio was stolen in April. Bastards.

May – work & Kenton on Sea with the folks. I may have had a crush on someone this month. Whatever.

June – who could possibly forget the month that I wrote my Citi Golf the ‘Blue Beauty’ off? *Le sigh* Or the kisses that followed right after the accident!! This is where it all turned around! Car accident = new car, love my little Renault Clio (Red Rhino)! I also started going back to gym this month, with the notion that I was going to enter the 94.7 cycle challenge! About a week after mentioning this to my cycling Dad :) he entered the two of us into the race! Never would I have imagined being in tears on a highway 5 months later!

July – was a busy month, 4th July I BOOKED MY CONTIKI TOUR TO THAILAND (shouty capitals necessary) 12th July Posed in front of a Billboard during 5pm rush hour traffic with my bestie Kools in an attempt to win tickets to Oppi Koppi (in hindsight I realise now that my pampered little behind would not have enjoyed scraping my bits in the bush with rough leaves nor would my feet have endured all those thorns!) 18th July I was interviewed by Donna Rachelson to feature in one of her upcoming books, I then also found out later in the year (December) that part of my interview was aired in front of over 100 General Managers as well as all the Directors of my company at their annual conference! Stick with me, I’ll make you famous  23rd July – 702 WALK THE TALK, and me being as stubborn as I am I decided to do it with terrible bronchitis and nearly landed myself up in hospital. Ya ya. I look after myself now. Danielle also decided to leave me for Ghana this month. It still hurts but I forgive her. Haha.

August – got mother faced at my Birthday Party because someone bought me a Flaming Lamborghini! I didn’t even finish my 2nd glass of wine or my pasta! Next year I will be classy & have a tea party , you’re all invited! Hehe. I also went to Pinkie Fest, which started off crap but I ended up jolling with the awesomeness that is known as Dono White and had an amazing time!

September – 2nd Sept Zwartkoppies Race Track annual Bed Race. I ran last year, and not a f*ck was I going to push that bed again this year… Instead I ran like a turkey all along the race track snapping photos of my TEAM… so I ran it anyways. Haha. 4th – 7th Sept Revenue 201 course in CT (I went, I passed, I got homesick) let’s just be serious, CT is pretty but Jo’burg is my true love. 21st Sept Kings & Queens of Comedy with Sarah… lolling back to that night. 22nd Sept my poor attempt to go party at Wild Waters (Spring Fiesta), I sat for a full 45 minutes outside the front entrance before I all but ran screaming back to the North, Parkhurst & a hottie calmed my nerves till late into the night ! 24th Sept well… that’s all smiles and so was the rest of the month.

October – Daniele returned back from Ghana on the 5th Oct, we collected our Nike RunJozi packs from Rosebank then hit Bloc Party that night like Northern hookers in Newtown (not really but I wanted to say something funny). At the time I remember this was possibly the worst moment of my life, we couldn’t get within 5 meters of the bar, I was wearing sandals at a fecking concert, people were standing on my feet, Sar’s was being threatened by Die Antwoord worshipers, I was being hit on by lesbians, some chick even elbowed my left breast and then Bloc Party came on stage :) *happiness* I also remember being middle spoon that night between Sar’s & Danielle. how unforgettable. 7th Oct I did the Nike RunJozi 10km with Danielle, and I have been in love with running ever since. We did it in 1hr35mins, and both of us had never trained for it. 12th – 14th Oct #GirlsDurbsRoadTrip went down with Danielle, if you followed us on Twitter over that weekend you would know how much fun we had. Enough said. 21st Sept Shadow Club unplugged live at The Venue in Melrose, awesomeness!

November – all in all it was a great month, I did the Soweto 10km on the 4th Nov and achieved a better time of 1hr14mins. On the 18th Nov with my Dad I completed the 94.7 cycle challenge in 5hrs5mins, one of the most challenging things I have ever done. Never before has my body hurt so much, but I did it. Not once did I push my bike up a hill and after all the pain & exhaustion subsided I have decided that I will do it next year again. 30th Nov LADY GAGA *little monsters*!!!

December – well with much of the month still left to come, so far I can say it has been ok. This year was the 1st year in 5 that I have not spent my Ouma’s BDay with her which was a bit upsetting. Soon soon I will be off to Umngazi River Bungalows for a much needed break.

My article title was less was more in 2012, but looking back at the last 12 months I can say I have had an amazing year and I did more than I thought. Whilst I still do enjoy my work thoroughly I have realised that there is so much more to life, people & being healthy are what matter, and this year I have been privileged to be around some amazing people. I would love to mention you all but I am sure you know who you are, to a few special people that contributed to my growth as well as making my year a great one…

Sarah – we haven’t spent a lot of time together this year but the moments that we did, the long Whatsapp convos & telephone calls. They’ve been awesome, I can’t wait for 2013!

Danielle – I can honestly say that you have been a strong pillar of friendship for me this year; our email that we sent whilst you were in Ghana is 46 pages long on word and 15 email threads long. But it doesn’t stop there, we have had some great times together and I am sure we will have many more! Perhaps in the New Year I will change a few names and words on that email and turn it into a short story ;) I quote…

“Dearest Danielle, Please accept my sincerest apologies for the delay in you not receiving this email, I see now how I have been so selfish this past week in not allowing you tearful moments of laughter, herewith follows my much anticipated he-mail.”

At this stage I am actually considering printing the email out, heading to the beach with a bottle of wine this holiday and sending it out into the ocean after reading it! :)

Khulile – you remain forever a true friend and I love you dearly. I do think that you were sent into my life to teach me how to be more patient, how to love & how to enjoy a great cup of coffee. Thank you for listening to me when I needed it most. PS. I am prepared to pose nude in front of a billboard to win tickets to Oppi Koppi next year (at 00:00) with only a flashlight & no audience. Even if we don’t win again, I will at least know that we had a blast trying!

B - The last 3 months of my year have been absolutely amazing, your company has been enjoyed, the times spent together have been fun and I believe people do not cross your path without reason. You have challenged me to question things, to keep fit, to read more articles, love more kinds of music, made me want to go out more to discover different places (especially in Jozi), cherish my friends and inspired me to travel overseas a lot more. Above all you have made me realise not to take life too seriously. xx

2013 – I will seize every possible opportunity that comes my way.

KB

Do What You Love, And Do It Often {Holstee Manifesto}

I have a few things to say…

I feel like blogging… yet I don’t.

I want to tell you about what I am feeling, what I have seen and what I have done. But I cannot.

I am sitting at Odd Cafe in Greenside listening to and watching the noisy, excited and colourful bunch that are streaming in with their Amazing Race clues. Glugging back Lovoka shots.

I am listening to Armand Van Helden – King of My Castle and loving it. This track brings back so many memories for me living in Zim all those years back.

I have a Vaseline tub that is on its last dregs that I have had since I was in Matric. This tub has gone everywhere with me for the last 7 years, to the beach, to sports, to work, to my exams and much to a lot of my friends disgust has even been whipped out in the middle of the dance floor at clubs for that much needed moisture for the pout.

I love kissing.

I am now listening to Art Company – Suzanna. Where did I get this song from?

I have been living in Jo’burg for about 4 years now, such a beautiful dynamic city. I love it here, and cannot imagine living anywhere else.

I feel lonely. No I don’t. Whatever.

I have CharlieC, he is gorgeous. Such a treasure. Today after gym he fell asleep in my arms. 10 minutes later he was biting my hand; this apparently is how he shows me his love? I like biting too

I love the Asaf Avidan – One Day Reckoning Song (Wankelmut Remix). Possibly my song of the year. Or not. I fall in love with new music every day. I have heard some amazing music this year, and all with such a contrast. I have an obsession, I cannot stop buying CDs. Rock, Pop, Indie, French Cafe, Electronic, House… still struggling to get my head around Heavy Metal though. We’ll see.

I watched Breaking Dawn Part 2 twice this week. Average, yip I said it, sorry Twilight babies. Read the books, they’re more exciting and you don’t have to put up with Kristen Stewart’s terrible pretending.

I am currently reading Fifty Shades Darker, 2^nd book of the Fifty Shades Trilogy. What a load of trash. Badly written, boring as hell book I have ever read.

I was supposed to do the Sisters with Blisters walk today but instead I lay in bed listening to the rain. Yip I feel guilty. Oops.

I cannot wait for the 16^th December, yay for a three week holiday at the Wild Coast! Not so yay for distance of a certain kind.

I have a feeling.

I feel uncertain.

I am struggling to start more sentences with I… haha, not even sure what the hell I was trying to do by doing it. I remember someone told me once that starting with ‘I’ in more than one sentence in an email, letter, essay etc is rude/self absorbed?

I… I…

I cannot remember what it feels like anymore.

I think someone in a black & white prison costume just walked past me. These Amazing Race teams are dressed as everything. Although I haven’t seen any naughty nurses.I have a pair of red & white nurse stockings in the back of my cupboard somewhere… Random.

I recently started running, when I say running I actually mean that I have done two 10km runs, I have run for like 15 minutes at a time on the treadmill, down Conrad Road and up Jan Smuts (that is a 4km run!) I am loving it, there are no other words. I feel so free when I am running. I did the Nike Run Jozi 10km in about 1hr40mins and then the Soweto 10km in 1hr14mins59sec I beat my 1^st time! Chuffed!

I actually feel free when I am doing any sort of exercise. I always used to say I would never join a gym because you look like a lab rat in the gym, but really it isn’t that bad. I wasn’t the sportiest person in school. Junior school sure, tennis, rounders, athletics, hockey, swimming… you name it, I did it. High School, all I did was play squash and I loved it. League, provincial and just for fun. Now I don’t play it at all. Sad really. I always managed to make it into the inter-schools gala in High School, and much to my disgust I had to stand in front of everyone in my swimming costume with shaking legs before I had swim across a never ending length of a damn cold Olympic size swimming pool!

I was sick enough to after 5 years purchase myself a swimming costume again, with the intention of swimming at the gym. I have used it twice and usually I pass out after swimming because the chlorine is like taking Tequila to the eye ball.

I have ATB – Don’t Stop on repeat *happy place* this song will never die.

I just had a guy tell me that he is 50 Shades of Grey at Odd Cafe. Shuwee these Amazing Race boys are feisty! I’ll show him 50 Shades of Grey haha

I did the 94.7 Cycle Challenge on the 18^th November for the 1^st time. I feel like this was a huge achievement, I really did not think it would be so difficult but I did it and I finished it… in 5hrs5mins. Yip, I remember I was originally aiming for 4hrs! Haha.

I laugh thinking back to the race now, I remember towards the last 30km’s of the race saying to my Dad that I could not go on, I was hurting, my back was sore, my left shoulder was on fire, my hands were getting sore because I wasn’t wearing gloves, my neck was aching, my thighs were on fire (on fire is an understatement) they were f**king burning like nothing I have ever felt before!  LOL. We’re cycling up a hill (possibly the thousandth hill that day), I’m like “Dad, I can’t. How much further? How many more hills?”. He points to the right (to ANOTHER hill full of cyclists) and says, “look over there, that is the last longest hill left, then there are a few small ones and we’re done”. Needless to say I wiped a few tears away from my cheeks and I pushed on! LOL, yip I had a moment of proper weakness.

I can say that, on the day of the 94.7 it was the 1^st time I got on the bike (I had only prepared for the race in spinning classes) and it was a mountain bike not a road bike. I did not once get off my bike to push it up a hill like many others that I passed along the way.

I have ticked that off the bucket list and might be cray cray enough to do it again in the future. I still need to do the Comrades, Argus & Midmar Mile. All of these at least once in my lifetime

I am getting an iPhone, soooo excited. I used to love my Blackberry, really I did but lately it has just been constantly freezing and the quality of the phone is just plain crap.

I am going to Thailand next year, I have never been overseas before. Should be interesting, I am going to a foreign country alone and on a Contiki Tour. Hahaha *nervous giggle* should be entertaining and FUN!

I need coffee.

I have been thinking about my career a lot lately. A year ago I was all, get to the top, be the best, do it quickly, do it better and do it alone. Now I feel like there is so much more to life. Yes I know that a career is important but there are other things more to life. I have found a balance and I am loving it for now. Work is fun and it is not going away anytime soon!

I can smell this darn Lovoka. Yeck.

I have one of my most favourite songs on now, The Beatles – Here Comes the Sun.

I cannot believe how many cute boys are taking part in the Amazing Race (yes I said boys) because they all look so young. Well too young for me that is. Haha.

I was supposed to be sitting here today and cleaning up all the shite music off my iTunes. Meh, that didn’t happen!

I ‘quit’ drinking the last 3 weeks, 1^st Nov – 23^rd Nov, I didn’t drink any alcohol. It was supposed to be for the whole of Nov but I figured I did well not drinking for 3 weeks so last night I had a much needed glass of wine October was a bit of a gross one. I got totally smashed the one night and came short of trashing my name! Not a good look for anyone.

I think that is enough for one day. Considering I didn’t feel like blogging earlier I had quite a lot to say

I still have a feeling though.

Love, love me do, you know I love you! – The Beatles. Classic!

The Mayonnaise Jar

 When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough; remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee. 

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things–your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions–and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. 

The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car. 

The sand is everything else; the small stuff. 

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. 

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. 

So… 

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Play with your children.

Take time to get medical check-ups.

Take your partner out to dinner. 

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap. 

‘Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter.

Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’ 

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

 The professor smiled.

 ’I'm glad you asked’.

 It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

 Today – I definitely needed to read this, thank you Ann x